Yes, that is what I found most interesting about the new LR upgraded front diff breather that I installed on my 3 and is standard on all new production.

The filter material is what I call Gore Tex, (made by the Gore Tex people). The Gore Tex material keeps humidity/moisture out and oil in - quite the stuff; hence the change out.

There did not seem to be any upgrade of the rear diff breather however.

 

and that is why it's still great Land Rover engineering

 

Any "gore tex" type material may block (at least for awhile) water from a fording etc but it won't stop water vapour in the air. This is why it breathes.

 

You are correct - the Gore Tex jackets we wear let moisture out without letting rain water in. The stuff in the breather is not quite the same as the jacket material.

That is why the filter material has what are called hydrophobic and oleophobic properties. That means it keeps oil in and water vapor out but still allows the air pressure to equalize, (air permeable). Also the transfer of dust, salt and road debris is inhibited.

In truth, I doubt the stuff is perfect so certainly some water vapor does pass thru and hence changing the oil in the differentials every so often as well as the transfer case, tranny, and whatever else will continue to be required even if LR thinks otherwise.

So many of the manufactures recommendations are now related to length of lease, and then after that, nothing matters.

 

Ok - so not as impressive as the D2 stuck for 30 mins, but here's a shot of my LR4 hitting some reasonably deep water. the rims are 19", tires are about 30", so guessing about 24" of water give or take.

 

The above post idea of wading is I think about right; below, maybe not so.

 

Hilltopper, how bad was the aftermath of that? I remember you discussing it on D'Web but I forgot what you said. Did you have significant ingress?

 

Keep in mind on the LR3 / 4 that it does not matter if you have a snorkel or not. If you wade too deep, worse if you stop or get stuck. The weakest link in that chain is going to be the Cabin Air intake, you do not want water coming in to that, because electronics, blower motor, filter and more are going to sustain damage. Here is a picture along with my cowl writeup. Note the top of the cabin air filter. DISCO3.CO.UK - View topic - Upcoming project

There are some great wading / swimming videos on youtube if you search for them. This is one of my favorites.

I would definitely recommend changing the differential fluid if you have done extensive wading. Just as important however is changing the fluid every 30k or so, as the diffs will collect moisture and the bearings will disintegrate otherwise, regardless of the climate you drive in.

 

the driver side was actually in deeper so the water eventually came in. the tranny ecu got soaked with that delicious icy water (it was in Jan 2012) and i winched out. Went into limp mode with no blinking M&S. We took the tranny ECU out sprayed the heck out of it with WD40 and some compressed air, installed it and it worked on and off the rest of the trip. got home cleaned the heck out of it with some electronics cleaner and q tips. then waterproofed it with some circuit board silicone spray. its perfect now. that was the only damage besides wet carpets. even the stock stereo amp attached to the tranny ecu still works great.

 

I checked with the dealership and was advised the diffs in the LR4 are completely sealed and cannot be serviced. Any insight as to whether or not this is the case? Is this one of the changes from the 3?